LAKERS -at- SUNS - 5/2 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings

[DancingBarry]

Thank You, Raja Bell... I was worried about the Lakers energy coming into this game. They looked gassed at times in the last one. Top that off with Kwame's off-court issues, Kobe's new baby, no cohesive practice time and this being an inexperienced team, and you have a recipe for a let down on the road. The lack of energy and intensity could be seen on our defensive glass and in our general hustle.

Then enters Raja Bell with a deliberate and premeditated clothesline around the neck of Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter, dropping Kobe hard to the floor. This is an offense that the league has been cracking down on in this playoffs. He's likely gone. The real mistake, however, was putting some fire in the Lakers and the Staples crowd for the next game. All those aches, pains, tired legs and heavy shoes now have been given a shot of adrenaline. What a stupid, stupid foul.

"We want him out there," Phil said of Raja in the next game, hoping Raja gets thrown into the lion's den to juice up the crowd. Staples will bring it with or without Raja. Am I right, L.A.? It's on.

The stat of the game to me, and the one that shows the Lakers lack of intensity, was the Phoenix Suns out rebounding us on the offensive boards 12-5. The Suns lost the fastbreak battle 5-9, but they won the points in the paint 48-42. If we don't bring the energy and aggression, the Suns will take advantage -- something we should have learned from our three losses to them on the second night of back-to-backs this year.


Kobe -- -- Of the clothesline, Kobe said, "I don't get disturbed by it. It actually excites me. I enjoy it. I grew up playing basketball that way." Kobe got tossed shortly after the Bell incident for complaining to the refs. He had literally been fouled several times on one play, then Kwame got dumped to the ground before the refs blew the whistle. He got whacked with his second T of the game, the first was a double tech with Bell and more of his antics earlier. The game was out of reach at that point, but it will be more fuel to the fire. Kobe finished the game with 29 points, 10-17 shooting and 3-8 from beyond the arc. He had 7 boards, 5 assists, 5 turnovers and 1 block. On to the first half highlights: He missed a turnaround. He missed a three trying to beat the shotclock. He picked up his first foul with 2:42 left in the first. He hit a simple, 17-foot pull-up jumper with 51 seconds left in the first for his first score. He attacked and turned the ball over (wanted the foul). On the last possession of the quarter, he attacked the lane, spun, took contact from Thomas and banked in an And-1, he made the FT. He posted up, drew a double, spun away from it and swished a baseline jumper. He posted up, drew an illegal D, and hit the FT. He attacked off a Walton back pick in semi transition and threw down a huge dunk in the middle of the lane. He ran the two-man game with Luke and fed him for a layup. Great high rejection (it appeared) from behind a defender on Marion. He attacked the lane, took contact, no call and missed. He fed Turiaf who drew FTs. He attacked and whipped it to Odom for a layup. Raja Bell was up to his usual clutching and flopping as he drew a double tech, a holding foul, then a disgusting flop that the refs fell for and Kobe got his second foul. Kobe had 11 points on 4-7 shooting at the half. In the second half, he missed a three to start, but Kwame put it back in. He was called for a touch And-1 foul on Bell (refs not being consistent with that whistle). He faced up and sliced through the lane for a layup. He attacked and found Kwame for a layup. He attacked off the dribble and drew FTs. He threw a pass away getting caught in the air. He had one poked away shortly later. He fed Cook for a pick and pop three. He hit a pull-up three and missed a couple shots at the end of the quarter. He sliced through the lane and scored a layup. (Defensively, on Nash for a few possessions, he didn't play the switches smart at first, but better later.) He dropped Bell with an elbow while receiving a pass and Bell was called for a hold. He then drained a three. He hit an elbow jumper. He missed a tech FT. Raja Bell then took the cheap shot clothesline of Kobe from behind, drawing a flagrant and ejected from the game. Kobe got FTs, brushed it off and waved a finger at the cheering crowd. If you look at Bell's face just as Kobe started to make his move you could see that was a premeditated, no-play-on-the-ball clothesline. Kobe made one FT, then knocked down a long wing three to cut the lead to 10. Late in the game, Kobe must have been slapped, hacked and tugged at on one drive about half a dozen times. He then said something to the ref after Kwame got dumped to the floor and was ejected with three minutes left. He left the court smiling.

Odom -- -- Decent job by Lamar to put up the numbers, but he didn't get much help on either end at times. When he had the ball in his hands and drew doubles, guys weren't making the right cuts. Despite Lamar's board totals, he looked like he was a little tired. Marion had 5 offensive boards. The team needs to collapse on their defensive boards and give him some help. Lamar finished with 18 points on 7-14 shooting, 15 boards and 6 assists in 41:47 of action. Early on, he fed Kwame after Smush stole the ball and Kwame dunked. He curled into the lane, drew a foul on Marion and hit one FT. He posted up, Marion overplayed the inside and Lamar drop stepped on the baseline for a dunk. He scored a layup when the Suns D was scrambling and Cook hit him for the easy score. Nice swat under the hoop to save a sure basket. He had to heave up a three, unaware almost of the shotclock despite the fact that we called a timeout to set up a play. He drew a double and threaded a pass to Turiaf for an And-1. He contested a Marion shot on one end, then attacked the lane and fed Turiaf for an And-1 on the other. He picked up his second foul late in the second quarter trying to cut across the lane and Marion stepped in front of him to take a charge. He had to be careful not to get his third. He scored a layup off a drive and dish from Kobe. A minute later, Lamar picked up his third foul contesting a Diaw dunk and had to sit. He had 7 points on 3-5 shooting and 11 boards at the half. Out of the second half, we ran a typical sequence that Lamar initiates: The Suns doubled Lamar at the wing, he dumped it to a cutting Luke who drew a defender, then Luke hit Kwame for the dunk. This sequence is there quite a bit for us, but we messed it up a number of times tonight. Lamar got tapped on a layup. He slashed through the lane and scored a layup. He drew FTs on an attack. He drew an illegal D on a post up. He hit running bank. He hit an And-1 at the rim. Rest up, Lamar, and get ready to leave it all out on the floor in the next one.

Smush -- -- Smush continued to struggle. He scored 5 points on 1-7 shooting in just 26:55 of playing time. He busted out with Luke off a steal and drew FTs, he made both. He stole the ball at half court and it resulted in a dunk for Kwame. Great defensive rotation, communicating to Kwame to take Thomas, then rushing out on the shooter to contest and get a miss. He shot a three instead of feeding Luke who had Nash on him, Luke did get the offensive board. He had 2 points on 0-5 shooting at the half. He missed a layup over Nash. He looked a bit sluggish on D, not moving his feet and fouled his man on a switch. Phil then started mixing up the defensive matchups and put Smush on the bench. He hit a long three in the last minute.

Kwame -- -- The off-court issues may be affecting Kwame's energy level. The last two games he has just not been the same. Tonight, he had just 3 boards and some foul troubles, playing just 24 minutes. He scored well on 6-6 shooting in that time for 14 points, but he didn't have the domination of the glass on either end that has caused the Suns to go one and out, while we get second-chance opportunities. The points were nice, but that is not as key as the other aspects of his game that were missing. I don't know to what effect his off-court issues are going to impact this team, but it has the potential to throw a wrench in everything. Hopefully, Staples can get Kwame wired for the next game and he can pound the glass and also avoid some of the cheap touch fouls he got whistled for tonight. On to the action: He got good position on the right block and threw a short jumphook in. Smush then stole the ball at the half court, Lamar fed Kwame under the hoop for a dunk. He hit a jumphook over Thomas in the lane. He picked up a couple of soft And-1 fouls and had to sit late in the third with three fouls. He had 6 points on 3-3 shooting in 10 first half minutes. He cleaned up a Kobe miss from three with a rebound and score. Defensively, he contested a shot but didn't got up for a rebound and gave up the score. Luke fed him off the Odom double team for a dunk. He was called for a charge off an Odom feed early in the third, his fourth foul. He drew a foul and made one FT. Kobe attacked and found him for a layup. He got yanked down on a shot and hit a FT.

Walton -- -- Luke is pretty key to our offensive attack. We used him okay at times in this one, but certainly as much as we could have to control the tempo and run our offense through the post. He finished with 9 points on 4-11 shooting, only taking two shots in the second half. He had 6 boards, 2 assists and 4 turnovers. He got the Lakers first basket, swishing a three from the corner 4 minutes into the game. He hit their next bucket, knocking down an elbow jumper. He stole a pass and it led to FTs for Smush on the break. He posted up and missed a turnaround (no one crashed...this is critical as Kwame and Lamar have been doing damage with putback scores by crashing the boards when Luke posts up). He posted up, kicked it to Cook who hit the open 17-footer. Sweet back pick on Kobe's man in semi transition and Kobe threw down in the lane. He scored a layup off a pick and roll with Kobe. He attacked off the dribble and hit a floater in the lane. He missed a bank shot. He missed a corner three. He had 9 points on 4-9 shooting in the first half. He cut to the strong side, got the feed from Odom who was doubled and quickly fed Kwame for the dunk. He missed a layup over his man. No other real action in the offense in the second half.

Cook -- -- We had to rely on Cook a bit more with Kwame's foul trouble. Cook brought a good offensive game, but is not the defensive glue that Kwame can be. He finished with 9 points off the bench on a nice 4-5 shooting, 2 boards and 2 assists in 14:35 of action. He found Lamar under the hoop for a layup. Marion rushed at Cook at the three line, Brian took him off the dribble and scored a layup. He knocked down an open 17-footer straightaway off a Luke kickout. Weak rotation to Thomas once on the perimeter to contest, then as Thomas missed, he cut to get a pass and then Cook shoved him from behind for an easy And-1. He missed a baseline jumper. He hit a long jumper from the side. He drained a long pick and pop three working with Kobe.

George -- -- Pretty quiet 15 minutes from Devean in this one. He scored 5 points on 2-6 shooting (1-3 from three), had 3 fouls and 1 board. He let Barbosa blow past him and he had to foul. He missed a three. He missed a short face up jumper. He hit a jumper from straightaway. He drained a three.

Vujacic -- -- Sasha certainly didn't provide any spark on either end in this one. He went 0-1, had 3 fouls and 0 assists in 16 minutes. Our PGs definitely were MIA in this one. Sasha didn't cut when Odom drew a double and hung out at three line, stalling the offense...this is not the first time he has done this and it cost us most likely a hoop. He was whistled for a couple fouls on one possession to start the second. He missed a three with the shotclock low. He was called for a travel.

Jackson -- -- Phil started to tinker with the lineups when the Suns broke the game open. Jim missed his only shot, had 1 assist and 1 turnover. He held a man under the hoop to prevent a score. He traveled. He missed a three.

McKie -- -- Barbosa blew past him for a score. That seemed to be the only thing worth noting. He played 8 minutes and didn't notch a single stat.

Turiaf -- -- The rookie got his first playoff run time with Kwame in early foul trouble and he responded with a great effort and production to go with it. He got his first run midway through the second quarter as Kwame was foul strapped. After Kobe swatted Marion, Turiaf swatted Marion's next attempt. He looked a little to rushed in his first post up and traveled. Lamar found Ronny for an And-1 off the glass, he made the FT. He scored another And-1 when Lamar gave him another interior feed, Ronny hit the FT. He drew FTs, attacking off a Kobe pass and impressed Doug Collins at this point. He picked up a weak tech on a foul of Diaw, really a weak whistle on that one. Ronny had 8 points and 2 fouls in that 7-minute stint. He got a couple minutes of late action. He finished 2-2 from the floor and 4-4 from the line with1 block and 2 fouls in that 9 minutes.

Phil -- -- "That's what happens when teams play with some desperation," Phil said. "They were active and aggressive and beat us with the nature of their play." He saw it coming, for sure. Phil sounded as though he didn't think we were going to pull this one off before the game, saying it was difficult to win two on the road unless you are a team like Detroit. Could be his way of challenging the team, which he has done before... We will now have to defend the home court. It will be tough to take a game 7 on the road with this young team. Although, Kobe has done it before... The Lakers went down 0-7 to start the game and Phil called a timeout. The Lakers cut it to 4 and then Kwame was whistled for a couple of And-1's and the Suns extended the lead. Phil left Kwame in after he picked up his second foul and he got his third next time down the court. After it was all said and done in the first quarter, the Lakers trailed by just two... The Lakers held even with the Suns through the first part of the second quarter. Then, as Kobe sat, the offense began to stall with some bad formations and cuts that didn't come when they should have. We then got in the bonus with 7 minutes left in the quarter. The Suns went on a run behind a number of Diaw FTs to close the first half and they had their biggest lead since game one, 56-47... The Lakers had 10 turnovers at the half. They won the break points, the paint points, but lost the FT battle, allowing the Suns to shoot 17-20 from the line in the first half. The Suns went 5-6 from the line in the second half... Smush fouled Diaw on a switch. Phil then brought George in and switched Kobe on to Nash as predicted midway through the third. Kobe's first few defensive stands didn't seem to be on the same page with others. Then, he seemed to buckle down a bit... The Lakers lost control of the game, looking gassed and not running the offense. Kobe started to turn it up, trying to make a desperate comeback... Early in the fourth, Phil brought in JJ and McKie to go with Cook, Lamar and Kobe. We cut the lead to 10, but didn't play with any focus on the offensive end or intensity on the D end... He used the last couple minutes to work in some more time for Turiaf... The Lakers had 20 total turnovers to the Suns 8... Phil didn't like some of the officiating: We had officials that were calling stuff that isn't in the rule book," he said. "Ronny [Turiaf] got a technical. We didn't know if that was a flagrant or why it was a technical on the foul. Sasha [Vujacic] got called for a delay of game for throwing the ball [into the base of the basket]. You see that happen a lot in this game, but I've never seen that one before."... Regarding the Kwame Brown off-court issue, which has potential to derail the Lakers drive, Phil said, "As a basketball team, we're going to focus on what we need to do. I did say something to Kwame. We have three priorities: Basketball, basketball, and family. That's it."...

[KOBE 2.0]

The Officiating was just awful it was obvious.

[ocho]

as far as i'm concerned...this is our series still and unless raja bell's uncle is david stern...he will be suspended for the next game. who guards kobe next game? jones? please.

everyone will be talking about the bell clothesline...but it is important to note that our two objectives in this series:

1. slow down the tempo and don't let phx run n' gun.
2. pound the ball inside

...were not executed tonight. we played a sloppy game and seemed lackadasical at times. i expect all of this to change in game 6....and fully expect LA to close out.
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14-5-3-12

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

whats with refs thinking they are bigger than the game? To see Kobe get thrown out for arguing is apalling. refs never usually give the second tech if they know the player already has 1 tech just for arguing. he motioned that Kobe had been thrown out like he was god or something.whats with these exaggerated body movements when making calls? its almost like they do it for crowd approval. the refs have become so sensitive that you can't even breathe in their direction anymore. they should have at least given Kobe the benefit of the doubt after being clotheslined and not thrown him out.
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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[they-perch]

we've made so many improvements these playoffs defensively.

-much better at getting back in transition(odd how we only improved slightly all season here, but in this playoff series its a relative nonissue compared to the regular season matchups w/ the suns and other teams).
-rotations on the perimeter are great.
-team defense improving


but the one thing we still cant handle is the pick and roll. suns are exploiting it. they cant get out in transition as often, but they still manage to efficiently breakdown the defense, get inside, get mismatches, or get an open shot through the pick and roll. something needs to change there defensively. our lack of outside shooting really killed us today.

the pick and roll w/ bigs also draws kwame outside which takes away our defensive rebounding advantage.

[8750]

thanks, DB...
we absolutely need to find some solutions against the p&r, be more aggressive on rebound and have better defensive rotations... without superior intensity we become again a very poor team...

[- Sean -]

"Thank you Raja Bell" was exactly what I was thinking as well. In fact, w/ out what he did - I would been a lot more concerned w/ the next game. That's not to say I would have thought it was over - But this team did not look like they were of one mind.

They looked out of sorts...and w/ Browns investigation serving as somewhat of a black cloud looming over them....they needed something to emphasize and unify their objective. This was it.

If I'm a Phoenix Suns fan...I'm pissed. They did exactly what they wanted. They kicked the Lakers asses. They reestablished themselves in regard to their offense. Despite the fact that they didn't run all that much - They managed to still find their offense. All good signs. The game was in hand...and then Raja Bell came undone.

I said the other day that I thought Bell deserved some props for flying under the radar w/ his physical defense. There is a fine line that he was walking quite well a la Bruce Bowen - But unlike Bowen, he did something indefensible right in front of the officials (at the worst possible time)...that in all chances will result in at least a one game suspension. At least.

As a consequence, that could be the series. Terrible decision....and that's just the basketball aspect of it...relative to his place within a team setting. He let his guys (and city) down...despite what people may think given the support of his teammates. They are saying what they are because they know of no other way of handling this situation. If LA takes them down minus Bell....every Sun will know what he may have cost them deep down.

More importantly as a Laker fan, what he did will not only get the players more focused....more bloodthirsty....but it will make the fans at Staples Center go rabid. Kobe is the most beloved active athlete in this city...he thrives on their energy....that energy overflows to the rest of the team....and it's an additional hurdle an opponent will now unnecessarily have to clear...Thanks to Raja.

Every Laker shot made...every rebound...every stop....each one will be a big "(bleep) you" to the guy that tried to take our best players head off.

Not to mention, Bell is a nuisance on the court. On a team that already lacks defenders....they are saying goodbye to half their D corps. He's also a clutch three point shooter. Now they will have to depend on Barbosa/House....neither can D up at the 2....and both have poor decision making.

Raja gave this game more value to the Lakers than I ever thought was possible for most of this contest.

[DancingBarry]

Well said, Sean. If they gave Posey a suspension for sizing up and knocking a player down like he did, Bell will be suspended. It clearly looked like he sized Kobe up, too, and also threw him down with some added emphasis after the clothesline. Then he taunted the Laker bench. As much as Phil or Kobe want Bell there in the next one...I just don't see the league doing that. That certainly wouldn't be consistent with the message they have been sending. The more likely response from the league is at least a one-game suspension and throwing Steve Javie out there in the next game. The flagrant foul was invented after a clothesline on Rambis by McHale from behind. It would take a minor miracle for the league not to do anything on this one.

No matter what they do, the stupid foul by Bell will carry over to the next game just on sheer emotion and adrenaline from the players and fans.

[- Sean -]

[orido86]

tnx DB

[TooCool]

Good post DB.

This game was frustrating to watch from start to finished. The fact that the refs didn't bother at all to hide their biasedness really irked me. NBA is a dirty business when it has to be. They can completely ruin the game whenever they want to.
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[KobeButler]

Just some rants.....

Did Devean George miss the memo about not taking quick 3 pointers? Everytime he comes in he just settles for 3 pointers. Hes also getting killed on the boards as well which is supposed to be his thing.

Cook needs to stop the ball if hes gonna foul. It annoys me alot when he fouls someone and gives up a 3 point play. I dunno if theirs a stat for that but im sure he'd be in the top for giving players the most AND1s.

Smush needs to stop taking those pop up jumpers. He cant make them.
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Pain is temporary, at the end of pain is success...

[DancingBarry]

BTW, I forgot to mention that Odom was @#$%! pissed after Kobe got taken down.

I expect him to have a huge game . . .

[Addicus]

Lamar played a great game and had very little help from anyone at anytime besided Kobe. Foul trouble didn't allow Kwame to do any real damage and Ronny got jobbed by the refs with that T.

Lamar was gonna crush Bell after that take down. It sounds as if Phil and Kobe are lobbying for a very physical game to be played in the next game. If the refs let it go there is no way the Suns can handle the bruising.

The flopping out there is just embarrasing. When you have commentators like Kenny Smith and Barkley straight out saying - that was a flop and so was that - you know the refs did a bad job. There is a difference between making bad calls (the T on Ronny) and letting a team get away with not playing defense.

Great read DB!
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Stop crying and start doing.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addicusbrown

[A Mad Chinaman]

Re: The Refs' "Calls:"
Strange that Sasha was called for a "Delay of Game" when the Lakers were going on offense?!?!?! Does anybody know what rule was being enforced?!?!?!

Re: Raja Bell
Which would be better
** Raja playing Thursday with the entire Staples crowd and Lakers team totally AMPED or
** Raja being suspended

Re: After the Raja foul:
The Lakers cut the lead down to 10 points, but the team on the court (McKie, JJ, LO, Kobe & Kwame) didn't have the focus (JJ/McKie) or energy (LO/Kwame) to get over the hump - the only good thing is that they showed that they have the ability to do this and got invaluable PT for McKie and JJ - even Turiaff got the chance to shake out his playoff "nerves" when there was less pressure to produce. This PT would come in handy when the starting 8 runs out of gas and/or when they face the Clippers. How do you think that PJ will use them in the future - especially since Smush/Sasha seem to be running on "fumes" that resulted in minimal scoring from the PG position?

[jmark]

[Mike@LG]

I could care less about Bell right now. The Lakers lost the game and went away from what made them successful in Games 2-4.

3pt. rotation was slower.
Phoenix sped up the tempo to their game.
Shot selection wasn't as good, which led to Phoenix in transition and the loss of tempo control by the Lakers.
Sasha got repeatedly burned by Nash in the 4th. I was wondering why he was out so long.
Turiaf did well in his stint, and yet, didn't play more minutes in the 4th.

My biggest concern prior to the game was the Lakers needing to match the level of intensity and energy right from the get go. It was there for only one half.
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Resident Car Nut.

https://lakersdraft.substack.com/

I am not an economic advisor nor do I advise economic strategies or plans.

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB. and thanks Raja
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[LakerLanny]

It reminded me of watching a game vs Sacramento a few years back when Snaq could literally not catch the ball and turn towards the basket without some guy diving to the floor and the refs incredibly calling those "offensive fouls"

Now the same thing is happening with our perimeter superstar. Kobe cannot even catch the ball and turn towards the basket without the whistle blowing. It is impossible to play basketball like that, it was completely and totally obvious the game was being manipulated in every way possible for the Suns to come out on top.

Just like Game 6 will be, I guarantee it. You think Game 5 was bad? Wait until you see what Stern is going to pull out of his hat in Game 6 to try and get the Game 7 ratings bonanza he so desperately craves.
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Love, Laker Lanny

[wolfpaclaker]

The Suns played with desperation and the Lakers didn't have that energy level.

Also, the Lakers sent the Suns to the line too many times. I don't think it's Phx's 3 point shooting that did them in. 8-23 against Phx is hardly bad 3 point defense though I agree they gave them too many open 3's.

Offensively - just too many TO's. I don't think they really played steady and with some real intention consistently in this game. Bryant and Lamar put up great numbers, but the rest of the team (especially the shooters) were never a factor.

I like that the Suns are doubling both Bryant and Odom. This is something that the Lakers can really take advantage of. DB was right - Phil did say it's very tough to pull of 2 road wins and that it was unlikely for a team like Detroit even.

So with that in mind - Game 6 is huge. I expect the Lakers will react. They must watch the T/O's and not put the Suns on the line too much.

[Sage_10]

Thanks DB great read.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[BigE32]

We didn't match Phoenix's energy last night. We need to limit our turnovers. We need to play Game 6 as if it's a Game 7 because I don't want to have to go to Phoenix and win a Game 7. I expect a much better effort on our part tomorrow night. Thanks again, DB.

[NY_LakerFan]

[Klone_dd]

Turnovers, especially all the offensive fouls, really killed any kind of focus to the game. All the flopping was very evident. One could say the game was "Phx-ed."

Okay, so Diaw gets a trophy no one will remember next season, he sure got the benefit of some superstar treatment.

Enough about the reffing though, I was worried that Kwame's trouble would be a distraction, especially at this critical point of the series. That kind of added pressure isn't needed right now. I don't know how much his predicament contributed to the lack of energy, but something was clearly out of sorts.

The team weathered Phx's expected early storm and I thought they got themselves under control after Kobe's vicious dunk and Rony's inspired play. After LO got his 3rd, everything went haywire, mostly from the FT line.

NKPOG = Rony. I think he's earned some time. LO once again with the heavy lifting, but like DB said, he needs some help. Smushie, outside of one dazzling minute, has played poorly the last 2 games. Hopefully, it's not the playoff pressure getting to him.

I expect Kobe to be supremely energized Thurs as well as the rest of the team. Thanks to Raja for making them re-focus.

[LakerLanny]